Planning drawings in Newham

Small gardens and the land they leave you

Domestic gardens account for only 16.9 per cent of the borough's land, and 47.1 per cent of households live in a house. Rear space is limited, so each square metre taken by an extension matters to the family that remains in the house.

That affects the order of design work. We test how the new room works with the existing kitchen and garden door before we settle its depth, since a deep addition that leaves a tiny garden is poor value, and the officer may think so too.

The survey records levels, drains and boundary walls, as they decide where the extension can sit.

Few conservation areas, but still checks to make

Newham has only 9 conservation areas and 125 listed entries, so most houses are outside the heritage designations. That makes the planning route simpler, and the main questions are scale and neighbour impact. We still run the full constraints check because a listed or locally important building next door can affect a proposal.

An Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation applies in the borough, so turning a house into shared accommodation needs consent. Only 30.8 per cent of households here are owner-occupied.

Newham's decision record and the prior approval picture

Newham decided 388 householder applications in its latest year, granted 86.9 per cent and decided 97.2 per cent within the statutory period or an agreed extension. Timekeeping is strong: nearly every case was closed on time.

On larger home extensions the council granted 6 prior approvals and refused 23, so we are careful before recommending that route. See prior approval drawings in Newham for the test.

The council issued 281 lawful development certificates in the same period, so a Lawful Development Certificate in Newham is a well-used way to confirm a smaller project.

Fee and levy

The householder fee is £548, paid to the council, or £1,083 for two or more dwellings. Neighbours are consulted for at least 21 days.

Newham is in mayoral charging band 3, so the Community Infrastructure Levy is £25 per square metre on new floorspace that meets the threshold.

Newham prices, tenure and the practical brief

The average price in Newham is £390,349, with terraced houses at £458,668 and flats at £325,381. The average has moved by -5 per cent over twelve months. With prices at this level, an extension is often the sensible way to add a bedroom, and a good drawing set is a small share of the cost.

The borough has 115,507 households, and some of our enquiries come from landlords as well as from owners planning for a growing family. For a landlord the question is usually a conversion or a loft room, and for a family it is a rear or side-return addition. We ask the purpose first, because it changes the layout, the fire strategy and the route.

A loft conversion is a good example of a project that suits many terraced houses. It adds a room without taking garden, and the drawings concentrate on the roof form, the stair position and the headroom. Our loft conversion drawings in Newham page sets out what is included.

Planning drawings are only the first stage. After approval the design needs technical drawings for Building Regulations, and our building regulations drawings in Newham service builds on the same survey so nothing is measured twice. A written scope at the start lists every sheet you will receive. If your property is a flat, the route changes. Householder permitted development does not apply to flats, so we draw a planning application and read your lease for any consent you need from the freeholder.

What to send us, and nearby boroughs

Send the address, a short brief and any previous drawings. We confirm the fee after a free constraints check and redraw at no charge until approval if the council asks for changes. The borough overview is at architectural drawings in Newham.

We also draw in Tower Hamlets, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham. A shared house may need our HMO conversion drawings in Newham.